In Romans 2:4, the apostle Paul declared that “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (NIV). If showing forth the kindness of God can lead a person to repentance, then on the opposite side, sharing judgment and condemnation will lead an individual to hardening his heart against the Lord. All too often, however, when we see someone living in sin - including a brother or sister in Christ - we criticize and talk about that person behind their back; and perhaps some of us are course enough to tell them directly what a terrible person we think they are.
As Christians, we know that we’re supposed to serve the Lord simply because He is God; and so, we expect a lost person to come to Him simply because He is God – but the lost don’t have this understanding. In fact, most of us did not arrive at this understanding before we became a Christian. If we’re honest, we weren’t drawn into a relationship with the Lord simply because of who He is. We were drawn to Him because of something He did for us. So, what exactly did He do? Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life through Him. The Bible says, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
If our intention, when we see someone living in sin, is to lead that person to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, then I want to caution you, and let you know that it cannot be accomplished through criticism, shame or correction. Remember, “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4, NIV), not His condemnation. If you want to lead someone to faith and repentance then it starts with the kindness of God, as you show forth the compassion and forgiveness of Jesus Christ; and this is the message from our passage of Scripture that I believe Jesus wants us to grasp and apply.
Jesus Ignored Condemning Statements (vv. 1-6)
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
The first thing we read is that “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (v. 1). The Mount of Olives is where the Garden of Gethsemane was located, and Jesus often retreated there to pray. For example, Mark said, “They went out to the Mount of Olives . . . Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray’” (Mark 14:26, 32).
Luke testified, “And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet” (Luke 21:37). The word “stay” implies that Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer and devotion. He went there to slow down and catch His breath. He also sought serenity so He could better hear from the Father and find spiritual renewal. Jesus, thereby, was ready to teach the people, and prepared for the Pharisees’ difficult questions.
We too need to spend time with the Lord if we’re going to hear Him clearly, and be able to communicate the truth during difficult situations. Paul admonished, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). If our hearts are not prepared, we could respond from our own fallible human understanding instead of God’s infinite wisdom. We might also respond from legalism, judgment and condemnation instead of mercy, compassion and grace.
We read that when Jesus sat down the next day to teach in the temple, that the scribes and Pharisees brought before Him a woman caught in the very act of adultery (vv. 2-4). It seems strange that this woman was even allowed inside the temple, because sexual contact would have made her ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:18), and anyone unclean was not permitted to enter the temple (2 Chronicles 23:19). The scribes and Pharisees, in their haste to judge, actually committed what was unlawful by bringing this woman into the temple. They were looking at the sin in someone else, while failing to recognize their own.
The scribes and Pharisees told Him, “Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned” (v. 5). They based their interpretation of the law on Leviticus 20:10, which says, “A man who commits adultery with a man’s wife, who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Notice how they had only brought the woman before Jesus, when the law required that both the man and the woman be put to death. This is the second time in this passage that the scribes and Pharisees took the liberty to stand only by the laws that benefited their own agenda, thereby committing sin.
In verse six we learn that their agenda was to test Jesus, in the hopes of tripping Him up so they could “accuse Him,” destroy His reputation, and even kill Him. Mark says, “The scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching” (Mark 11:18). The scribes and Pharisees were envious of Jesus, because multitudes of people began listening to His teaching instead of theirs. Through their jealousy, the scribes and Pharisees demonstrated once again how their own hearts were full of sin.
When they asked Jesus if He had something to say concerning the law and the woman’s behavior, He appeared to just ignore them. He had heard them for certain, but chose not to answer a fool in his folly (Proverbs 26:4). Perhaps He was thinking about what He would say; or He could have been giving the scribes and Pharisees a moment to reflect. Maybe Jesus was allowing them to stew in anxiety while awaiting His reply. Whatever intention He had for this moment of uncomfortable silence, we must not forget that Jesus was spiritually prepared for His unconventional response.
Next, we read that “Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger” (v. 6). What exactly did He write? I have heard it said that He scratched the word “forgiven” on behalf of the woman. Maybe what He wrote was not meant for her, but directed toward the scribes and Pharisees instead. Jeremiah declared, “All that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:13 KJV). Matthew Henry suggested that perhaps Jesus wrote each of their names in the earth to signify that they, like this woman, had forsaken the law of God.(1)
Jesus Diffused the Situation with Truth (vv. 7-9)
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
By this point, the crowd had likely begun picking up stones in preparation for judgment. Some were probably eager to accuse, because finding fault in this woman would have made them feel better about themselves. An individual in the crowd might have looked at this woman thinking, “I may have lied the other day, but at least I never committed adultery!”
Jesus finally rose up and answered. He never negated the law in His reply, and He did not share His own opinion or condemn the malice and deception of the scribes and Pharisees. He simply posed a question to all who were present. In fact, Jesus often countered difficult questions by presenting His own question (cf. Luke 14:1-6); and His questions always contained some profound spiritual truth. When the people were confronted with the truth, then they were compelled to stop and think, and to look in the mirror and realize that they too had sin in their life.
When Jesus arose from writing on the ground, He said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (v. 7). Who could possibly be without sin? James stated, “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). You could make certain to attend church, remain faithful to your spouse, provide for your children, and devote time to serving in your local civic organization; but if you tell one dirty joke at work, then you have completely messed up.
Everyone messes up once in a while, or maybe even on a regular basis. According to the Bible, each and every person in the world has committed sin. Romans 3:10 states, “There is none righteous, no, not one,” and Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That word “all” means that each and every individual who has ever been born has committed sin. And just as each and every person has sinned, each and every individual is appointed to die (Hebrews 9:27), “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
No one - including you and me - is any different than this adulteress, for sin is sin. In response to Jesus’ challenge, the people of the crowd - if honest - would have needed to admit that no one among them was without sin. They apparently came to this realization, for we read that “being convicted by their conscience” (v. 9) they one-by-one dropped their stones, and turned and walked away “beginning with the oldest even to the last” (v. 9).
The tactic that Jesus used here was to diffuse the situation with the truth, and He was able to discern the truth because He had spent time with the Father. Whenever you and I find ourselves among fellow believers who are acting judgmental toward someone else, we need to present them with the truth found in the Word of God. This can be accomplished by formulating a question as a gentle reminder, asking them to recall what they should already know. Perhaps before passing judgment, we should all first ask what the Bible has to say.
Jesus Forgave and Restored the Fallen (vv. 10-11)
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Jesus asked the woman, “Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” (v. 10). Her plight just a few minutes prior was accusation and condemnation. The scribes and Pharisees had treated this adulteress with judgment and threat of death, but Jesus responded to her with mercy and compassion. Jesus did not want the woman condemned, but forgiven; He did not want her dead, but alive!
John declared Jesus’ purpose as coming into this world that people might have life (John 10:10). He stated, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). John also said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
The woman stated that there was no one left to accuse her; and Jesus replied, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (v. 11). Jesus did not seek her condemnation; He instead sought to forgive and absolve her. The term “absolution” is defined as liberating a person from blame or guilt “made by a priest . . . on the ground of authority received from Christ.”(2) You and I, as part of the priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:9), can lead people to find absolution – or rather, the forgiveness and release from sin through Christ – as we lead them to confession of sin and faith in the Savior.
Now, the power and freedom to refrain from committing sin is gained through the release that’s found in forgiveness. If we judge people and place a label on them, such as, “thief,” “adulterer,” “loser,” “bad girl,” or even something else, then they often become that label. They will act according to the behavior associated with that label unless they are given a new one, such as, “honest,” “faithful,” “good girl,” or “forgiven.” Jesus assigned this woman a brand new label of “forgiven,” and at that moment she was released to become a new person.
In fact, anyone who has received forgiveness through Christ by confessing Him as Savior and Lord is seen as a new creation. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). With one’s new identity comes a brand new purpose, which is to be involved in the ministry of forgiving others. We read that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
We must take the forgiveness that we have received and pass it on to others. We need to stop generalizing and labeling people. We need to look at their potential, and stop focusing on where they have stumbled. Jesus set an example for believers to follow as He forgave this woman, and restored her! Paul informed the believers in Galatia, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
Time of Reflection
I want to ask you this morning, “Are you without sin in your life?” Your answer should be a definite “No,” for all have sinned. John stated, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). My next question is, “Have you been forgiven of sin?” If you have received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, then your answer should be a resounding “Yes.” Ken Sande testifies, “Christians are the most ‘forgiven’ people in the world. Therefore, we should be the most ‘forgiving’ people in the world.”(3)
Are you a forgiving person whenever you see someone else committing sin? You should be, for you too are a sinner; and rather than being condemned, you have undeservedly received God’s mercy and grace. Martin Lloyd-Jones stated, “Whenever I see myself before God and realize something of what my blessed Lord has done for me at Calvary, I am ready to forgive anybody anything. I cannot withhold it. I do not even want to withhold it.”(4)
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord then, according to the Scripture, you are a condemned sinner. John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” But you don’t have to remain condemned. The Bible declares, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Psalm 86:5). Will you call upon the Lord today?
NOTES
(1) Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Power Bible CD.
(2) “Absolution,” Dictionary.com: dictionary.reference.com/browse/absolution (Accessed June 17, 2011).
(3) Ken Sande, The Peacemaker (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2004), p. 204.
(4) Martin Lloyd-Jones, “Forgiveness to Others,” Grace Quotes: thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/Forgiveness-Others-To.htm (Accessed June 17, 2011).
